Where does artistic inspiration come from? For some it's nature, others have music or cultural roots. For choreographer Kyla McGregor it's her home and family. John Lewis talked to the Shepparton teacher and mother of two about her dance theatre creations, which have attracted attention from Sydney and New York.
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Video, sound, costumes, hair styling, movement, light, computer graphics, animation — Kyla McGregor's palette is a broad one.
Over the past two years Kyla's Awaken Dance Theatre Co has brought three unique productions to Shepparton audiences using all of the above — but the most important ingredient is her cast.
“My greatest joy is seeing the kids uplifted and so committed. They are all part of the creative process. They each bring their own special contribution,” she says.
To rehearse and present Kyla's productions, a troupe of young people aged from 12 to 30 years old take time out of their school holidays, weekends, work or daily life to help bring her vision out into the world.
They come from across the Goulburn Valley — from Tatura, Katandra, Tallygaroopna, Cobram, and Nathalia to discuss ideas, listen to music and dance.
“We explore themes and get to know each other. It's important that the cast feel safe to express themselves. We spend time to make sure they grow together and create a sense of belonging — we make sure they feel cared for,” Kyla says.
The rehearsal spaces might be at schools or Mooroopna's Life Church hall, but the engine room of creation is Kyla's Shepparton home, which she shares with paramedic husband Ed, and two daughters Tamsyn, 8, and Lara 12.
“Home is where I sit up at night and work things out, design and choreograph. It's the place where I hold meetings with my team and where my kids are involved. It's where I'm a mum and a teacher at the same time,” Kyla says.
The result has been three stunning pieces of theatre that have left audiences feeling awestruck, dumbfounded, moved, perplexed and intrigued in equal measure. Each piece has been supported by the Shepparton Festival and the Fairley Foundation.
The first, Voyage, was staged in March 2018 in the challenging space of the McIntosh Centre foyer with its distinctive pillars dividing the performance area into a series of tableaus.
“It had this nautical, ship feel about the space. Voyage was about journeys and stories — the physical journey and the personal journey, the highs and the lows. It referred to our refugee population, and our indigenous people — we even danced the Welcome to Country, it was beautiful to see that danced,” she says.
Kyla's second piece, I Am, was performed in the more traditional space of Westside Performing Arts Centre in Mooroopna, as part of the 2019 Shepparton Festival.
“I was inviting people to finish the sentence ‘I am . . .’ I see a lot of young people who think negatively about themselves and I wanted them to see that everyone has similar things like bad eyesight, injuries or body shapes and feelings,” Kyla says.
“The piece moved through the natural world and into the mechanistic city to show that we are more than just a number, we are unique, and we shouldn't be afraid of that.”
Her third piece, For The One, was staged early last month in the dramatic space of the Dookie Quarry. It was the single largest event of the 2020 Shepparton Festival before coronavirus restrictions shut down the remaining festival program.
“I was really inspired by being underneath the beautiful night sky and stars. We start as space matter and become human and move through science and inventions and progress like space travel and satellites and phones. But we downplay the really amazing thing, which is caring about The One — each other,” she says.
All three of Kyla's dance theatre creations have attracted sell-out Shepparton audiences of hundreds of people. Now, her Awaken Dance Theatre has attracted the support of The Australian Ballet based in Sydney and dance schools in New York such as the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance.
“The Australian Ballet came to our rehearsals and said they would like to mentor me and my team. They are due to mentor us for three years, starting this month. That's amazing,” she says.
“We've also been invited to New York to work with professional dance schools. We have a deposit on our tickets to fly later this year — but now your guess is as good as mine what will happen. It will happen — we just might have to re-negotiate the timing."
For Kyla, the past three years have been a whirlwind of creativity and opportunity, but her feet are still firmly planted in her family and her love of dance.
“Being with my little family in my home is what I love — creativity is part of my everyday life,” she says. "All this has been a long-term dream for me — I just love that dance can move people's hearts.”